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Veterans Direct Action in DC

Submitted by madmal on Sun, 11/16/2008 - 8:16am.
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On Saturday, November 15, at 8:00 am, at the National Archives Building
on Connecticut Ave., eight military veterans and a military mother
climbed a 9-foot retaining fence and occupied a ninety-foot high
scaffolding to raise two 450 square foot banners stating, "DEFEND OUR
CONSTITUTION. ARREST BUSH AND CHENEY: WAR CRIMINALS!" and "WE WILL NOT
BE SILENT."


The same message will also be
displayed at demonstrations in the Los Angeles area on Saturday.
Members of Veterans for Peace (VFP) chose the Archives for their
nonviolent protest because it is symbolic of their military oath to
"defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies,
foreign and domestic."

In September they occupied the Archives for 24 hours, and plan to
stay longer this time. "The offenses of Bush, Cheney, and their
accomplices are appalling," said Kim Carlyle, a VFP member and Army
veteran. "Their misdeeds have killed or maimed more than a million
people - American soldiers, innocent civilian children, women, and men.
They have displaced almost five million people, with millions seeking
refuge in other countries. Their total disregard for international
agreements has severely tarnished the reputation of America in the
world. Their unlawful wars have squandered billions of dollars that
could have bolstered a troubled economy."

The veterans are demanding Bush administration be tried for war
crimes, crimes against humanity, and crimes against peace; asking the
media to clearly inform the public of the administration's crimes; and
encouraging citizens to take similar nonviolent actions. According to
Tarak Kauff, a VFP member, "People say Bush and Cheney will be gone
soon so what's the point? The point is, there is no statute of
limitations on war crimes, and if not held accountable, criminality
will continue regardless of who is in office. We either are or we are
not a nation of law."

THOSE STAGING THE OCCUPATION ARE: Elliott Adams VFP: 61, Sharon Springs, NY, VFP President and former Army paratrooper, Viet Nam

Ellen Barfield VFP: 52, Baltimore, MD, former Army Sgt.

Kim Carlyle VFP: 61, Buncombe County, NC, former Army Spec 5

Doug Zachary VFP: 58, Austin, TX, VFP staff, former USMC Lance Cpl.

Tarak Kauff VFP: 67, Woodstock, NY, former PFC, Army Airborne

Will Covert VFP: 63, San Diego, CA, VFP lifetime member, former E4 Navy

Elaine Brower MFSO: 54, Staten Island, NY, Military Families Speak
Out, National Steering Committee, mother of USMC Sgt. James Brower on
third tour in Iraq

Matthis Chiroux IVAW: 24, Army Sergeant, served in Afghanistan, refused deployment to Iraq

PROVIDING GROUND SUPPORT: Mike Ferner VFP: 57, Toledo, OH, former
Navy corpsman Debbie Tolson VFP: 52, Potomac, MD, associate member of
VFP

Michelle White MFSO: 24, Clarksville, TN, Military Families Speak Out, wife of Iraq war vet currently serving in Afghanistan

Michael Marceau VFP: 59, Rockville, MD, VP VFP Chapter 16, former Army, Viet Nam

Bruce Berry VFP: 62, Minneapolis, MN, former SPC 4 Army, Viet Nam Fred Nagel VFP: 65, Rhinebeck, NY, former SPC 4 Army

Jay Wenk VFP: 82, Woodstock, NY, former rifleman, 90th Infantry Div., WWII

Tony Teolis VFP: 703-402-1763

Military Families Speak Out is an organization of people opposed to
the war in Iraq who have relatives or loved ones currently in the
military or in the military since the fall of 2002. Formed by two
families in November of 2002, MFSO membership now numbers over 3,400
military families, plus contacts throughout the U.S. and other
countries.

homepage:
homepage: http://www.vfpchapter72.org

 

UPDATE:  As of 4pm 11/16/08 the Archives crew are being placed under arrest.  Please take a moment to offer up good thougths and/or prayers for these valiant defenders of the Constitution; that they will be brought down with thought and care for their safety and treated well.  

Below are some UTube links to video showing the banner drops:


http://tinyurl.com/57hqlv 1 of 5 first banner drop

http://tinyurl.com/6jfdwm 2 of 5 surprised security

http://tinyurl.com/5stl7h 3 of 5 song

http://tinyurl.com/67gkxq 4 of 5 second banner drop "People got the Power"

http://tinyurl.com/5e4o5n 5 of 5 MLK Riverside NYC 4/4/1967

FINAL UPDATE:  At 4pm the DHS Police climbed the scaffolding and removed the banners, leaving the Veterans to go their own way!  At this writing all are down safely and enjoying hot meals and showers.  

More details later.....

Winter Soldier Media

Submitted by kelly on Tue, 10/21/2008 - 12:22pm.
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Check out these great photos of Winter Soldier Northwest by Jim Lommason.

 

Here is coverage by Dahr Jamail from IPS

US/IRAQ: "We Have to Share This Pain"

Dahr Jamail

PORTLAND, Oregon, Oct 20 (IPS) - Veterans from the U.S. occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan, along with Iraqis, Afghanis, Vietnam veterans, and family members of U.S. military personnel converged in this west coast city over the weekend to share stories of atrocities being committed daily in Iraq, in a continuation of the "Winter Soldier" hearings held in Silver Spring, Maryland in March.

At the Unitarian Church downtown, some 300 people gathered to hear the testimonies, which left many in tears. The five-hour event was comprised of three panels; Voices of Veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan, The Human Costs of War, and Building Resistance to War.

The goal of the event is to give veterans a platform by which to disseminate information about their experiences abroad to the general public.

"War changes people. You do not come out of a combat zone the same," Iraq war veteran Chanan Suarez Diaz told the audience while moderating the veteran's panel. "War is very numbing...it comes to a point that you see so much destruction you become numb. This bullshit about bringing democracy or liberation is nonsense -- we've killed over one million Iraqis."

Jan Critchfield, an Army National guard specialist, discussed his job working in Iraq as an army "journalist", that in his words, "I was a propagandist, pure and simple." 


Read more

 

And coverage in the Oregonian:

Anti-war movement revives 'Winter Soldier'

Ex-soldiers testify against the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan

 

 

VIDEO:: WINTER SOLDIER tape 1

Submitted by Joe Anybody on Tue, 10/21/2008 - 11:32am.
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I went to the NW WINTER SOLDIER at The First Unitarian Church on 10 18 2008

I filmed the three panels onto 5 seperate tapes

This is tape 1 - Panel one

More videos coming and will be posted here on PDX peace (asap)

The videos are archived and hosted on Archive.org website

 

http://www.archive.org/details/wintersoldierNW1

 

 

VIDEO:: Exit Wounds and Interview with Camilo Mejia - part 1

Submitted by Joe Anybody on Sat, 10/18/2008 - 9:25pm.
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I was able to film a 20 min interview with war resister Camilo Mejia and Dan Shea

This is part 1 of 2 videos

 

In this clip (#1) Camilo talks about his life and activism with war resisting. There is also a gallery reception going on that is an exhibit of pictures from Iraq and of soldiers who were there or still are. Camilo Mejia, a National Guard staff sergeant who after fighting for five months in Iraq, became the first combat soldier to refuse to go back to Iraq. He spent 9 months in prison for resisting. He now serves as Chair of the Board of Iraq Veterans Against the War and is the author of Road from ar Ramadi. He is now a IVAW activist and strong advocate for peace. 

 This is a 20 minute interview of Camilo by Dan Shea who is a Vietnam Veteran lives in Portland and is a member of Veterans for Peace chapter 72. and he also works with PDXpeace as many of you know.

Dan has a monthly Saturday show (every 4th Saturday) for Veterans on Metro East cable TV.  I was fortunate to film this interview with him for his show, and  priviliged to film some of the pictures of Photographer Jim Lommason exhibit at the same time.

Which can be seen over at -->  New American Art Union, on 922 SE Ankeny Street (behind KBOO)They exhibit will be on display October 17 to November 30, 2008Thursday - Sunday, Noon - 6PM + By appointment. 

This video is part one of two video from that evening at The New America Art Studio

The next video (with Dan Shea & Dahr Jamail) will be posted as a comment under this link when it is completed. 

I copied this below from the info on PDXpeace home page about Jim's photo-exhibit: 

The Myth of Return 

Photographer Jim Lommasson will present a series of photographs and interviews with American veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. The soldiers speak the truth about war, their participation, and the effects on themselves and those caught in the crossfire. This exhibit examines and raises questions about a generation of soldiers largely invisible to the American public. The stories are profound and timeless.

Returning soldiers have always had to process the real and transformative traumas of battle while integrating into a new civilian culture that lacks the clarity, meaning, and sense of ‘mission’ that war can provide. But how will these returning ‘silent warriors’ shape the social fabric into which they must now incorporate? With bodies and minds completely attuned to the violence and exigencies of war, what is the psychic space these young veterans inhabit after their tours?

What happens when battle-bred virtues, such as a heroic disregard for one’s life and pain, become a liability or even contemptible in their new home?

Exit Wounds looks at some of the trials of reintegration for this generation of invisible warriors and asks whether they do in fact get to ‘come home.’  

video part #2 coming soon in the comment section below this post here on PDXpeace.org

Winter Soldier Northwest wrapup

Submitted by barry on Sat, 10/18/2008 - 4:35pm.
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Wrapping up this amazing event - Winter Soldier Northwest

I took notes on the 3 panels:

Live Blogging Winter Soldier - Panel 1 - Veterans

Live Blogging Winter Soldier - Panel 2 - The Human Costs of War

Winter Soldier Northwest - Panel 3: Building Resistance to War



 

VIDEO: Stand For Peace November 15 2008

Submitted by Joe Anybody on Wed, 11/19/2008 - 11:44am.
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"Stand for Peace"

Thus vigil near the Lloyd Center on 13th street has been going for over 4 years

 

I stopped by on 11.15.08 and filmed a 3 min YouTube video of the 1/2 dozen protesters who all were "Standing for Peace" along the sidewalk in NE Portland 
This vigil happens every Saturday at 11am - 1pm rain or shine

Get Active - Make Change Happen -

Feedback on UFPJ documents

Submitted by kelly on Thu, 11/13/2008 - 9:31am.
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Compiling our collective feedback on UFPJ documents

As a member group of United for Peace and Justice (UFPJ), PDX Peace is being asked to provide collective feedback on key UFPJ documents in advance of the upcoming national assembly in December. We are holding a special meeting of PDX Peace members on November 17, 6:30-7:30 to compile our feedback to send to UFPJ, and to decide on who we are sending to the assembly to represent us. Please come to the meeting having read the three documents with the questions below in mind. Be prepared to share with the group your 2-3 answers that you feel are most important. 

Read the current drafts of the Unity Statement, Strategic Framework and Program Outline. 

Questions to consider:

Feedback on Unity Statement
From the perspective of your group, does this revised draft of the UFPJ Unity Statement articulate the priority issues and perspectives that should define UFPJ, especially in the context of the new political landscape of the country?

If your group thinks something is missing, what is that? And why is this important to include in the Unity Statement?

Is there anything in this version of the Unity Statement that should be removed? If so, what is it and why?

Is anything in this version not clear or anything that you think needs to be more fully explained?

Feedback on Strategic Framework
From the perspective of your group, does this new draft of the UFPJ Strategic Framework adequately define the new political moment? If not, what is missing?

Does this draft articulate the strategic priorities that should define UFPJ in the coming period, especially in the context of the new political landscape of the country? If not, what do you disagree with and/or what does your group suggest?

Is anything in this version not clear or anything that you think needs to be more fully explained?

Does this draft focus on areas of work that your group thinks should be a major focus for our work in the coming period? If not, what's missing?

If your group thinks anything is missing, what is that? And why is this important to include in the Strategic Framework?

Is there anything in this version of the Strategic Framework that should be removed? If so, what is it and why?

Feedback on Program Outline
What, if any, of these areas of work is your group currently involved in?

Are there some areas of work your group is not involved in but is considering taking up in the future?

Can you indicate which of these areas of work your group believes should be a priority for UFPJ as a national coalition?

Are there any other areas of work or issues you believe UFPJ as a national coalition should take up in the coming year to 18 months?

Any other comments or suggestions?

Armistice Day

Submitted by BOHICA on Sun, 11/09/2008 - 8:49am.
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On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month

 

All Oregonians are welcome and encouraged to join in a gathering for
Peace with Veterans for Peace chapter 72, Tuesday, November 11th, at
the South Park Blocks between SW Columbia and Jefferson in Portland, at
the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, to share
in stories, observations, and solemn observance to honor sacrifices of
the World's veterans and the innocent victims of war by embracing the
goal of Peace for all the Peoples of the World.

In the center of
the block between Columbia and Jefferson is a very different sculpture,
also installed in 1984. In Peace Chant, comprised of three large
granite pillars, Steve Gillman wished to express his own advocacy for
peace as well as that of the nearby churches. In May 1985 the Portland
City Council named this block Peace Plaza

 

 

The United States Congress officially recognized the end of World
War I when it passed a concurrent resolution on June 4, 1926, with
these words:
...Whereas it is fitting that the recurring
anniversary of this date should be commemorated with thanksgiving and
prayer and exercises designed to perpetuate peace through good will and
mutual understanding between nations...

An Act (52 Stat.
351; 5 U. S. Code, Sec. 87a) approved May 13, 1938, made the 11th of
November in each year a legal holiday - - a day to be dedicated to the
cause of world peace and to be thereafter celebrated and known as "Armistice Day."

Date: Tuesday, November 11

Time: 11:00 AM

Place: The Peace Plaza at the South Park blocks, between SW Columbia and Jefferson

VIDEO:: Exit Wounds and Interview with Dahr Jamail - part 2

Submitted by Joe Anybody on Mon, 10/27/2008 - 7:26pm.
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VIDEO:: part 2

 

  

This was filmed on 10/17 from the same evening as Camilo Mejia video I posted last week. 

This video is of Veteran Dan Shea who is interviewing Dahr Jamail. 

 (quote from PDXpeace) "Dahr is an independent journalist who spent a total of 8 months as an unembedded reporter in occupied Iraq.  He has written for Mother Jones and The Nation, among other publications, and has provided radio reports on Democracy Now! and the BBC. Author of Beyond the Green Zone: Dispatches from an Unembedded Journalist in Occupied Iraq." 

There are a couple scenes in the video from the "Exit Wounds" Exhibit (SE 9th & Ankey) This is an exhibit of photos from Photographer Jim Lommasson, as well as other Iraq veterans, whom when he met with them many shared their own photographs from Iraq.  

The video was filmed in the back room during the reception and this is the second 1/2. Dan Shea has a monthly Saturday show (every 4th Saturday) for Veterans on Metro East cable TV and this will be aired on his Veterans program. 

The 30 minute video is hosted on Archive.org The link is here:

 

http://www.archive.org/details/DarhJamailveteransEXITwounds_

 

  (tiny URL link below) http://tinyurl.com/5cyhfr 

 

VIDEOS:: Tape 4 and Tape 5 - NW WINTER SOLDIER

Submitted by Joe Anybody on Thu, 10/23/2008 - 10:07am.
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NW Winter Soldier 2008 tape 4

 


This was filmed in Portland Oregon on 10-18-08 This is tape 4 of five videos It is the second part of panel 2

It is also the beginning of panel 3 around the 42 min mark

http://www.archive.org/details/wintersoldierNW4

 

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NW Winter Soldier 2008 tape 5


This is the last video of five tapes I filmed at the First Unitarian Church This was filmed in Portland Oregon on 10-18-08

This is the second half of the third panel more information on this event can be found right here at www.pdxpeace.org

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